The Na+‐taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP/SLC10A1) is believed to be pivotal for hepatic uptake of conjugated bile acids. However, plasma bile acid levels are normal in a subset of NTCP knockout mice and in mice treated with myrcludex B, a specific NTCP inhibitor. Here, we elucidated which transport proteins mediate the hepatic uptake of conjugated bile acids and demonstrated intestinal sensing of elevated bile acid levels in plasma in mice. Mice or healthy volunteers were treated with myrcludex B. Hepatic bile acid uptake kinetics were determined in wild‐type (WT), organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) knockout mice (lacking Slco1a/1b isoforms), and human OATP1B1‐transgenic mice. Effects of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) on hepatic transporter mRNA levels were assessed in rat hepatoma cells and in mice by peptide injection or adeno‐associated virus–mediated overexpression. NTCP inhibition using myrcludex B had only moderate effects on bile acid kinetics in WT mice, but completely inhibited active transport of conjugated bile acid species in OATP knockout mice. Cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase Cyp7a1 expression was strongly down‐regulated upon prolonged inhibition of hepatic uptake of conjugated bile acids. Fgf15 (mouse counterpart of FGF19) expression was induced in hypercholanemic OATP and NTCP knockout mice, as well as in myrcludex B–treated cholestatic mice, whereas plasma FGF19 was not induced in humans treated with myrcludex B. Fgf15/FGF19 expression was induced in polarized human enterocyte‐models and mouse organoids by basolateral incubation with a high concentration (1 mM) of conjugated bile acids. Conclusion: NTCP and OATPs contribute to hepatic uptake of conjugated bile acids in mice, whereas the predominant uptake in humans is NTCP mediated. Enterocytes sense highly elevated levels of (conjugated) bile acids in the systemic circulation to induce FGF15/19, which modulates hepatic bile acid synthesis and uptake. (Hepatology 2017;66:1631–1643).

It is now widely accepted that organic anion-transporting polypeptides (OATPs), especially members of the OATP1A/1B family, can have a major impact on the disposition and elimination of a variety of endogenous molecules and drugs. Owing to their prominent expression in the sinusoidal plasma membrane of hepatocytes, OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 play key roles in the hepatic uptake and plasma clearance of a multitude of structurally diverse anti-cancer and other drugs. Here, we present a thorough assessment of the currently available OATP1A and OATP1B knockout and transgenic mouse models as key tools to study OATP functions in vivo. We discuss recent studies using these models demonstrating the importance of OATPs, primarily in the plasma and hepatic clearance of anticancer drugs such as taxanes, irinotecan/SN-38, methotrexate, doxorubicin, and platinum compounds. We further discuss recent work on OATP-mediated drug-drug interactions in these mouse models, as well as on the role of OATP1A/1B proteins in the phenomenon of hepatocyte hopping, an efficient and flexible way of liver detoxification for both endogenous and exogenous substrates. Interestingly, glucuronide conjugates of both the heme breakdown product bilirubin and the protein tyrosine kinase-targeted anticancer drug sorafenib are strongly affected by this process. The clinical relevance of variation in OATP1A/1B activity in patients has been previously revealed by the effects of polymorphic variants and drug-drug interactions on drug toxicity. The development of in vivo tools to study OATP1A/1B functions has greatly advanced our mechanistic understanding of their functional role in drug pharmacokinetics, and their implications for therapeutic efficacy and toxic side effects of anticancer and other drug treatments.

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Ribociclib is a CDK4/6 inhibitor recently approved for the treatment of some types of breast cancer in combination with an aromatase inhibitor. It is currently investigated in the clinic to treat other malignancies, including brain tumors. Using in vitro and genetically modified mouse models, we investigated the effect of the multidrug efflux transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2, and the drug-metabolizing CYP3A enzymes on ribociclib pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution. In vitro, ribociclib was avidly transported by human ABCB1, but not by human ABCG2 and only modestly by mouse Abcg2. Upon oral administration at 20 mg/kg, the plasma AUC0–24h of ribociclib was increased by 2.3-fold, and its terminal elimination was delayed in Abcb1a/1b –/– ;Abcg2 –/– compared to wild-type mice. The brain-to-plasma ratios of ribociclib were increased by at least 23-fold relative to wild-type mice in Abcb1a/1b –/– ;Abcg2 –/– and Abc1a/1b –/– mice, but not noticeably in Abcg2 –/– mice. Oral coadministration of elacridar, an ABCB1 and ABCG2 inhibitor, increased the brain penetration of ribociclib in wild-type mice to the same level as seen in Abcb1a/1b –/– ;Abcg2 –/– mice. Plasma exposure of ribociclib further decreased by 3.8-fold when transgenic human CYP3A4 was overexpressed in Cyp3a-deficient mice. Ribociclib penetration into the brain is thus drastically limited by ABCB1 in the blood–brain barrier, but coadministration of elacridar can fully reverse this process. Moreover, human CYP3A4 can extensively metabolize ribociclib and strongly restrict its oral bioavailability. The insights obtained from this study may be useful to further optimize the clinical application of ribociclib, especially for the treatment of (metastatic) brain tumors.